We're struggling really hard to get connected after relocating house recently. It has already taken almost an entire month to get this far where I have called Optus almost daily for status updates and to try and progress my application. I am getting conflicting timelines from different staff and every time something seems to progress there is some sort of complication. I lodged my application on the 24th of December and we are still potentially weeks away from being connected by the way the Optus staff are talking.

I have been told that there was previously internet connected to the premises, but they have been arranging for a Telstra technician to come here. I'm not sure what for when I have my own router from my previous location and the previous tenants had internet. When they did arrange for Telstra to attend my house, they chose a random date and time without consulting me that I could not possibly attend.

I'm trying to be as patient and polite as possible, but this is really poor form on the part of Optus. I'm being sent internet bills for services that I have not been able to access. I've had to use my phone hotspot to access the internet at home for work and have accrued hundreds of dollars over the past month. I really need some better options here or I'm going to have to leave as a customer. Sad as I have been a loyal Optus customer for around a decade. If I knew this was going to be this hard I would have left Optus when I moved house.

Someone please tell me that I'm doing something wrong and there is a better way. I just want this to be over and done with.

Telstra often come out because they manage the copper network where NBNCo is not the "governing" provider. Yes the previous tenants had internet, but if this was through another provider (not Optus), then the copper has to be connected to the Optus hardware in the exchange.

What connection are you getting? DSL? Cable? NBN?

Given you logged your request Christmas Eve, you already lost a tonne of days due to public holidays and the Christmas shutdown. So that just adds an unnecessary layer of complexity.

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Thanks for your reply and explanation of the process. I understand that the Christmas rush affects businesses, but that should not factor into how my experience is perceived. The fact is that I am being billed for a service that has not been implemented and having a terrible experience with customer service in the meantime.

Just an update after further investigation. I called Optus again on Wednesday. They told me that a Telstra technician is definitely notneeded and they verified this by checking in their database. They promised me that they were going to email the person allocated to processing my request in the backend and that I should receive correspondence within a couple of days. I have received no phone calls or text messages as yet.

On the same day I was charged a $330 bill from Optus for internet. Part of this was due to my choice to use my phone as a hotspot so that I can work remotely. But even if we do not count that data, I am still paying for the internet service which has not been provided that month. This is not acceptable. I am having to bear the financial loss due to Optus' incompetence.

I've lost all faith that Optus is able to deliver this service being left to their own devices. I guess the only option I have is to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman to assist me. Even this is a great annoyance because I really do not have the energy at this point.

The TIO are going to ask “did you use Optus escalated complaints process?” (Which is the link I provided).

if you have and you’ve still got no where then the TIO is your next stop. However, it’s not going to be an overnight solve as the TIO are heavily behind with what many would consider “petty” complaints or when customers call up, get an answer but don’t like it and jump straight to the TIO. So they waste a lot of time filtering genuine complaints like yours out from the noise that really didn’t need the TIO.

I'm a Yes-Crowd Contributor, not an Optus Employee, and I contribute on a voluntary basis. Did someone on Yes Crowd answer your question? Did they share a great tip Please remember to acknowledge their awesomeness by throwing a Kudo and or Accepted Solution their way.